MOST people dislike paying household bills. It's far more fun spending money on holidays, clothes, or a new car.

But 16.8 million households in the UK are paying over the odds for their fuel bills, simply because they haven't shopped around for a better deal - thereby, missing the chance to spend the cash on something more interesting.

In fact, there is é173m in unclaimed energy savings, which gets pocketed by the energy suppliers each year, according to uSwitch.com, a free Internet site, which calculates the savings householders could make if they swapped suppliers.

Jon Miller, head of sales and operations at uSwitch.com, says: "People tend to get lured into a false sense of security at this time of year. But don't let brighter days distract you from that hefty winter fuel bill. Now is the time to shop around for the best energy deal."

The average family spends a little over é300 on gas each year and around é260 on electricity. Add this to ordinary household expenses such as water, council tax and phone calls and the bills soon mount up.

A major way to save cash is to switch your supplier.

On average, each household in Manchester using traditional suppliers should be able to save as much as é100 a year by switching to one of the new suppliers. You can save even more if you pay by direct debit.

Competition

Gas markets opened to competition in 1998 and the electricity market in 1999. Since then, more than six million people have changed their suppliers, saving themselves at least é50 and, in many cases, far more than that.

But even some of the people who have bothered to switch their supplier are still not on the best deal. As many as nine out of ten, could save themselves at least another é15, according to recent figures.

Consumers who have not changed their suppliers blame bewildering tariff deals and the hassle involved.

But with big-name suppliers hiking up prices in the next two months, and free services allowing you to swap deals, there's no reason to be paying out more than you need to.

In fact, it's easier than ever to switch. This month, the energy regulator Ofgem has changed the rules to remove any barriers to switching suppliers.

It has scrapped the right of gas companies to stop their customers switching to another supplier because they did not provide termination notice.

Ofgem's managing director for customers, John Neilson says: "It is clear from the complaints we received from customers and companies that this practice is not welcome. Their removal will reduce bureaucracy."

As suppliers tend to change their prices in April, this is a good time to check again to see if you can make some savings.